Effect of Exercise on Appetite in Response to Meals During Energy Restriction

Before the main experiments are conducted, participants will attend a screening visit where the participants will provide consent and complete questionnaires that assess their health, food preferences, and physical activity levels. Researchers will then measure the participants' height, weight, waist circumference, and body composition.

Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, participants will participate in two treadmill tests to establish their maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2 max).

After the screening visit, participants will participate in three main experiments, each lasting 24 hours: control, severe energy restriction, and severe energy restriction with exercise. These experiments will be conducted in a counterbalanced design. Each experiment will start around 9:30 AM, following an overnight fast of at least 10 hours. Participants will have a prescribed meal in the evening before each main experiment. After this meal, the participants are only allowed to drink water until the start of the main experiments.

During the exercise trial, participants will begin by running on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a speed estimated to achieve 75% of their V̇O2 peak, followed by a rest period in the laboratory. The same protocol will be followed in the control and severe-energy trials, except that no exercise will be performed. Participants will rest in the laboratory during both the control and energy-restricted trials. In the control trial, the participants will receive 100% of their estimated energy needs; in the energy-restricted trials, the participants will receive only 25%.

The participants will have standardized breakfast and lunch meals at 1h and 5h, respectively. At 24h, participants will be provided an ad libitum buffet meal in a private eating room.

The researchers will assess appetite ratings in each experiment using 100 mm visual analog scales. The researchers will also collect blood samples to analyze ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and potentially other blood-borne measures.

Inclusion criteria

• Males aged 18 years or older.
• Have stable body mass for at least six months (within ±2 kg).

Exclusion criteria

• Females
• People who are younger than 18 or older than 65 years old.
• Following a special diet (e.g. weight loss, vegetarian or vegan, etc.).
• Have food allergies related to the study.
• Have significant contraindications to exercise (e.g., an injury that would inhibit running).
• Smoking.
• Taking any medications.
• Suffering from metabolic health issues, e.g., history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or eating disorders.
• Have any mental health conditions.